Maine Department of Labor Schedules Blueberry Harvest Outreach Events

AUGUSTA—The Office of the State Monitor Advocate in conjunction with the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor and the SafetyWorks! program of the Maine Department of Labor will hold a series of outreach events to the blueberry workers this harvest season.

The events will take place at 5 p.m. at the labor camps of Wyman’s (C & D Compound in Deblois) on Aug. 5; Cherryfield Foods (Blueberry Circle in Cherryfield, the old Kneeland Camp) on Aug. 6; and Merrill’s Blueberries Labor Camp in Mariaville on Aug. 7.

The events will also include safety training on working in the heat and heat stress taught by David Wacker, director of the Division of Workplace Safety and Health of the Bureau of Labor Standards. SafetyWorks! will provide refreshments to the migrant workers who attend.

Spanish speaking investigators from the U.S. Department of Labor’s regional office in Boston will make presentation to the workers regarding their rights and issues around wage and hour law including minimum wage, time cards and record keeping. The investigators will explain regulations addressing labor camp conditions, water quality and portable toilets and hand-washing facilities in the fields.